


this is my bad body double trouble

by Milzilla



Category: Roswell New Mexico (TV 2019)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Crash Fest 2019, M/M, Roswellprompts, body swap via alien shenanigans
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-06
Updated: 2019-07-06
Packaged: 2020-06-22 19:10:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,681
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19677466
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Milzilla/pseuds/Milzilla
Summary: alex turns up at the airstream to end months of indecision between himself and michael. the situation turns awkward when he finds out what kind of trouble michael and max have gotten themselves into.





	this is my bad body double trouble

**Author's Note:**

  * For [joykilldrama](https://archiveofourown.org/users/joykilldrama/gifts).



> this is my entry for the crash fest exchange, and a gift for [sarah!](https://manesguerin.tumblr.com/). the prompt for this baby was: "michael and max body swap comedy. bonus points for awkward malex content cuz alex keeps getting confused". it ended up being heavy on the malex, but i hope there's enough in here to give you a laugh!
> 
> shout out to my beta for continuing to read this stuff, even though they haven't seen the show. can u believe?

Alex Manes is a man who always has a plan. When he rolls up to the junkyard on a Saturday afternoon, five months after he's waited outside the airstream for hours, four months after Michael and Maria have called it quits, and two months after Max's resurrection, he has a plan.

He's waited long enough. He and Michael have built a tentative friendship, begun in the aftermath of the aforementioned breakup when Alex could bare to look at either party again. It's been good, really good. For a while, everyone had been too focused on getting Max back, faced with a steely-eyed and determined Liz, to really consider their own romantic undertones. 

Alex had been able to offer support as friend, as  _ family _ , while he wrestled with what his feelings for Michael were now. The answer? They hadn't changed, not really. Only now they were fuelled by the knowledge of Michael's favourite movies, of the way he liked his pizza, how his eyes got brighter when he and Liz talked scientific circles around one another, the way he looked on Alex's couch with Lady curled at his feet, the way he'd wrap his arms around Alex to hug him goodbye, palms pressed to his shoulder blades.

He’s been patient. He’s waited until the thought of Maria and Michael is no longer a stab to his chest, waited for Max to be alive again, for their big, weird family to be whole again, and then he’s waited just a little longer, because Alex Manes is a careful man.

He’s also only human.

Two nights ago, Michael and Isobel (an unexpected but welcome new fixture in Alex’s life) had been over at the cabin to watch a movie. Alex had come back from the kitchen with another round of beers, grinning at the way Michael’s face lit up. Two of the beers had floated out of his hands, one towards Michael and one towards Isobel. Michael had then stretched his hands above his head, beer still floating in the air in front of him, and his shirt had ridden up an indecent amount.

Alex had gripped his cane so hard he was surprised the thing hadn’t snapped.

It wasn’t just the sight of bare skin or the reminder that he hadn’t touched Michael, beyond hugging or the occasional hand on the shoulder, for months. It was the sight of him so carefree and  _ happy  _ in the cabin, showing off his powers without immediately looking for the nearest source of acetone. 

Alex knows that if Isobel hadn’t been there, watching them both with a perfectly raised eyebrow, he would have had his hands on Michael there and then. Instead, he’s waited for his next free day. He doesn’t want to rush this, doesn’t want to risk screwing this up when he’s so  _ sure  _ of his feelings and what he wants.

He grips the steering wheel for a moment, steeling himself, and then gets out of the car. Michael has opened the door of the airstream but is hovering at the top step, like he can't quite decide whether he's going to come down or not. It's a little unusual given that he usually saunters or bounds down the airstream's steps to greet Alex.

He makes the decision eventually though, taking the steps one at a time. He keeps walking, so that he's not meeting Alex directly at the bottom. He’s also walking a little strange, Alex notes, like he can’t quite figure out what his knees are doing. Is he drunk? No, his eyes seem clear but he's not meeting Alex's gaze head on like he usually would, challenge or happiness or anything in-between.

"What uh - what're you doing here?" Michael asks, and his voice sounds odd as well, like he's had a sore throat and is just regaining its use.

"I wanted to talk," Alex replies. He takes the few steps necessary to enter Michael's space, to be face to face with him. "Or to -- not talk, maybe "

Michael suddenly looks nervous, and Alex can't have that. He knows that he's screwed this up in the past; they both have, but he's determined to get it right this time. He’s going to show Michael that he’s here to stay and that he means what he says, that all these months have been building up to  _ something  _ and that they’re both on the same page.

“Michael…” he murmurs, and leans forward to press their lips together softly.

It's like kissing a brick wall. That’s how he knows something is wrong. Kissing Michael is never passive. Whether they’re happy, angry, sad with one another, Michael is never anything less than  _ reactive _ . Right now, every part of Michael is rigid, stiff and unyielding in a way that makes Alex start to pull back. Which is when they’re interrupted by the crunching of boots against dirt and stone.

"What the  _ fuck _ ?" Max yells, appearing from behind an old truck.

"Oh, Max is here." Alex takes a step back. He's still reeling from Michael's non-reaction and his mind is working overtime to try and process this. He's so sure they're on the same page; when did they fall so completely out of step? Fuck, has he read the entire situation wrong? Does Michael not want him anymore?

"Max, what the hell?!" Max shouts. He's walking towards Michael like he's thinking about decking him, all angry lines and macho cowboy swagger.

Alex blinks. That's not right.

"I'm sorry, Michael. He just --" Michael waves a hand at Alex and then at his own mouth. “I didn’t know what else to do.”

“Wait -- what?” Max asks, looking to Alex. There’s an eerily familiar expression on his face, not one that Alex would usually attribute to Max. He’s only ever really seen it on Michael… “You came here to --”

“Talk to Michael,” Alex explains, patience growing thin. He still has no idea what’s going on but his good mood has dissipated and now he just wants to get this conversation over and done with so that he can go home and chip away at the embarrassment and rejection that he feels.

“Maybe I should leave…” Michael says.

“No, Guerin.” Alex snaps at him. “Tell me what the hell is going on.”

“He’s not Michael,” Max says. He rubs a hand over his face. “I am.”

*

Alex sits on one of the lawn chairs outside the airstream and reminds himself to breath.  _ In, out, in, out _ . Michael and Max are sitting across from him, each one with beer in hand, while his own bottle sits on the ground next to him. Except, that’s not right, because it’s actually  _ Max  _ and  _ Michael _ .

“Let me make sure I’ve got this right,” Alex says, looking up from where he’s folded his hands in his lap. It’s so reminiscent of the conversation that he and Michael had shared in these chairs all those months ago that he wants to laugh. He doesn’t. “You are Michael,” he says, pointing at Michael!max, “In Max’s body. And you are Max,” he gestures to Max!michael, “In Michael’s body.”

Michael!max nods carefully, like Alex is a spooked horse who might run or buck at any second. “Yeah. I know it’s wack.”

“Wack is one word for it,” Alex agrees. “And this happened because you were playing around with some kind of alien tech.”

Michael!max nods again. “I’ve been trying to translate the rest of the interface on the console with that cipher that you gave me. You know I’ve managed to turn it on, got it to do a few basic things, but I figured it was time to push for something more complicated.”

Alex can see that sparking light of curiosity on his face that Michael always gets when he’s on the edge of something, that itch in his tone to push the science, to figure it out. It’s sounds wrong coming from Max’s mouth, looks wrong coming from Max’s face. Alex tries to shake the feeling of  _ wrongness _ away and focus on the conversation.

“And you did something that made you two,” he gestures between the two of them. “Swap bodies?”

They look at each other, then back at him.

“Basically,” Michael!max says.

“ _ Christ _ ,” Alex says with feeling. “How long have you been like this?”

“Only since this morning,” Max!michael assures him. 

"Who else knows?"

"Isobel. Liz," Max!michael answers.

Alex waits to feel the stinging hurt at not being told immediately, but it's clear that Max is the one who told the two women. Michael probably would have kept it under wraps until he could fix it.

He runs a tired hand over his face. "How do we fix it, Guerin?" He's aiming the question at Max!michael, then realizes what he's doing and turns to Michael!max. "I mean--"

"It's fine," Michael!max assures him, though his expression is pained. "I'm sure it's confusing."

"You have no idea," Alex murmurs. "How can I help?"

The two men look at each other again, this time in surprise.

"Oh come on," Alex says. "It's in everyone's best interests to get you back in your bodies. Unless you're planning to step into each other's shoes?"

The twin expressions of horror and panic on their faces would be comical if not for the overarching context.

"Right," Max!michael says. "You'd make a terrible Deputy, Michael."

"Hey!"

Alex frowns. "No offence, Max, but I was thinking about the fact that you can't fix a car for shit. People expect that from Guerin."

"Oh -- of course." Max!michael stutters.

Michael!max is looking at him in a way that warms Alex's face in want and confusion. He knows the look is all Michael, but it's coming from Max's face. Fuck, they need to sort this out quickly.

“So, how can I help?” he repeats.

“I could use some help with the console,” Michael!max admits. “Might go faster if you translate and I tinker.”

“Great!” Max!michael says, standing up and awkwardly arranging Michael’s body to stand like him. “I’m going to go and see if Liz has found anything.”

“Just remember that’s  _ my  _ body!” Michael!max yells at his disappearing form. Alex watches him go, unable to keep from admiring the strong lines of his body, the way his shoulder muscles ripple under the plain white shirt.

“Hey,” Michael!max’s voice demands his attention. Alex turns to see a very Michael kind of scowl on a very Max face. “Are you coming?” He gestures to the airstream, under which his super secret alien lab sits.

“Yeah,” Alex confirms, then gets up to follow him down into the bunker.

*

He’s sitting on a stool at one of Michael’s lab desks, running three different kinds of software on the laptop that he’s loaned to Michael, when the other man clears his throat. 

Alex looks up at him curiously, still jarred beyond belief when his eyes find  _ Max  _ and not  _ Michael _ .

“So, uh --” he looks nervous, of all things, maybe even a little pleased. Alex is still trying to puzzle it out when he continues: “You kissed me.”

Alex frowns.

Michael!max laughs shakily and moves around the corner of the desk so that he’s standing next to Alex. “I mean, you kissed  _ Max _ \-- and we’re going to revisit that later -- but you thought it was me. Since it’s, y’know, my body.”

Alex nods along.

“So, I mean --” that nervousness reappears on his face. “Unless Max said something that really swept you off your feet--” Alex scowls. “--then I think, I think you came here to kiss me.”

Oh.

“Yes,” he says, quickly. “I did.” Michael!max’s a lot closer than he was a second ago, so Alex can see the timid look in his eyes, even if his lips are curled into a smirk that looks entirely unnatural on Max’s face.

The expression turns soft at Alex’s words though, and Michael!max exhales heavily. “Yeah?” he asks, and there’s so much meaning behind the question that Alex feels like he can’t breathe for it.

“Yeah,” he murmurs, trying not to shift his eyes from Michael!max’s face.

When Michael!max leans in however, Alex reaches up to press two fingers to his lips. Michael!max lets out a soft, wounded sound, brow creasing in confusion. Alex pats his chest and shakes his own head.

“I can’t have this conversation while you’re in your brother’s body,” he says, honestly. “And I’m definitely not going to make out with you.”

Michael’s expression quickly goes from confused, to amused, and then to contemplative. “Maybe this is the best time,” he says. “For the conversation, not the making out.”

Alex just stares at him and gives a questioning hum.

“Well, we can’t use sex as a crutch, can we?”

That makes Alex screw his face up so hard he thinks he’ll get a headache from it.

“Oh my god,” he mutters, and presses a hand to Michael!max’s face to push him away. “I can’t even look at you. I don’t want to hear the word ‘sex’ out of Max’s mouth ever again.”

Michael!max laughs wholeheartedly, his whole body shaking with it, and returns to working on the console. And Alex is smiling now too, can’t help the grin threatening to split his face.

*

"It's confusing, right?" Liz asks, popping a fry into her mouth.

"Unbelievably confusing," Alex agrees, taking a sip of his milkshake.

They're having lunch in her lab at the hospital, sitting at one of the clean benches with meals from the Crashdown. After a morning in Michael's lab with both him and Max, experimenting with the console to no avail, he'd needed some human contact.

"And right when you'd decided to --" Liz shakes her head. " _ Mierda _ . The timing sucks."

"It does," Alex agrees. "Though for your sake, I hope Max is usually a better kisser."

She opens her mouth in amused indignation and reaches over to slap him playfully on the shoulder. "I can't believe you kissed my boyfriend!"

"Well he shouldn't have been in my -- in Michael's body!" Alex snarks, and Liz looks at him with bright eyes.

"We'll fix this," she says, with the kind of assuredness and fierce determination he's always admired in her. "And then you can get your guy."

"And you can have your terrible kisser back," he jokes, and they both laugh.

*

Two days later, and they still haven't solved the problem.

"Sheriff is starting to ask questions," Max!michael says in distress. "I need to get back to work.  _ You  _ need to go in, Michael."

Michael!max shakes his head vigorously. "No. No way. I'm not going out there and playing cop."

Max!michael fixes him with a look like he's already won the argument. "I'm on desk duty, actually. Until the new partner comes in."

Michael!max balks. "That's  _ worse _ . I don't even get to wave the gun around?" He makes finger guns at Max!michael, which looks fucking hilarious in Max's body.

Alex can't hide his snort of laughter.

They both turn to look at him. Michael!max looks pleased. Max!michael looks appalled.

"I'll come and keep you company," Alex offers, chest warming at the way Michael!max's face softens.

"Fine," he says, turning back to Max. "If I get to take Alex."

Max!Michael just shrugs at him helplessly.

*

"What if we never fix it?" Michael!max asks one night, when they're lounging on the lawn chairs outside the airstream, beers in hand and faces turned up to the stars. "What if I'm stuck like this forever?"

Alex purses his lips in thought. It's not like he hasn't considered it, but he's tried to stay positive, even as the days tick away. Liz has tried to keep him positive.

"I suppose Liz and I could work out some kind of agreement," he muses.

Michael!max scoffs. "Asshole."

Alex turns to look at him, serious now. He knows not to squander these moments of vulnerability from Michael, knows to handle them with a gentle touch.

"Michael," he says gently. When Michael!max doesn't turn to look at him, Alex reaches out and presses the back of his hand to his cheek. Michael!max's head tilts and he makes a soft noise.

"I want  _ you _ ," Alex says, raw and honest. "If this is permanent--" he's proud of how he doesn't choke on the word "-- I won't lie; I would  _ definitely _ miss the curls." Michael!max lets out another sound, halfway between a laugh and a sob. "But we'll figure it out. We've gotten this far."

He turns his hand so that he's cupping Michael!max's face instead. It's still beyond strange to be touching  _ Max's _ face, but he knows that Michael needs this. Alex wants to give him this.

Michael!max nuzzles his palm in response, spreading warmth through Alex's chest.

"Fuck, I want to kiss you so bad," Michael!max admits.

Alex smiles. "Soon," he promises. "I'm sure of it."

*

A week later, Alex leans on his cane and opens the front door of the cabin in the early hours of the morning to a wild looking Michael. No,  _ Max _ , he reminds himself irritably. The curls are a windswept mess, his eyes ablaze with something that has Alex immediately reacting in the more primal parts of his body.

"What --" he starts to ask. Max surges forward and presses their mouths together, slips his tongue inside on Alex's surprised gasp. He's about to push Max away and ask  _ what the fuck  _ when  _ oh _ , his tongue is being sucked on in an unbelievably filthy way and that is absolutely a  _ Michael  _ move.

Alex pulls back and brings his hands to Michael's face, dropping his cane in the process because Michael's strong arms are around his middle, holding him up.

"Is it --" he manages to get out as Michael peppers his face with light kisses. "Are you -- you?"

Michael pulls back enough to fix him with a look. "I sure as fuck hope Max hasn't been kissing you like that."

It's such a Michael thing to say, coupled with such a Michael expression, that Alex can't help the bubble of relieved laughter that escapes him. He slides his hands into Michael's hair and pulls him back into a kiss, laughter still on his lips. The sound quickly turns into a groan though as Michael presses them closer together, his intent unmistakable. He walks Alex backwards through the room until he finds a wall to pin him against, then proceeds to press wet kisses across his jaw, down the side of his neck.

Alex hears the sound of the door closing, lock clicking into place.

"Mm, eager are we?" he asks in a teasing sing-song.

"Yeah," Michael replies breathily, not even bothering to deny it. "I've wanted to touch you all week."

"All week?" Alex laughs, indignant. "I've wanted to touch you  _ for months _ !"

Michael pulls back enough to wrestle Alex's shirt over his head, dropping his lips to the newly exposed collarbone. "Shh darlin'. I know." He speaks the words into Alex's neck, touches tongue to skin. "Me too."

"I can't believe you fixed it," Alex sighs, cradling Michael's head as he works a mark into the side of Alex's neck. "How did you --?"

Michael lifts his head to smash their mouths together again, pulling back only when Alex is breathless and trembling.

"Do you want to talk about that  _ now _ ?" Michael asks, punctuating the word by rolling against Alex, hips and other hard places grinding together. "Or can I remind you what this body can do?"

Alex's whine seems to be answer enough.

*

"I really did mean it when I said we'd figure it out," Alex says later, sometime after the second round. "But if I'm being honest, your mind in this body is definitely my favourite combination." He swings his right leg over Michael's hip, grinning when Michael grips his thigh to keep him there.

"Aw, babe," he drawls, rubbing gentle circles into the muscle underneath his fingers. "That's real sweet of you."

Alex pauses, shifts minutely, then presses a hand to Michael's chest. He catches Michael's gaze, so glad to see the familiar expressions on this face again. "I mean it, Michael. I love you. That’s what I was coming to tell you that day, when you guys swapped. I was coming to tell you that I want this. I want you. The whole package.”

“Well, it is quite the package --”

Alex groans, though this time it’s from something other than pleasure, and wacks Michael gently on the chest like he barely means it. “I’m trying to be sincere.”

Michael closes the gap between them and kisses Alex softly, with no intention but to be there, to kiss and be kissed. Alex melts into the touch. He can’t  _ not _ .

“I know,” Michael murmurs into their shared breaths. “I love you too.” There’s a soft noise between them and belatedly, Alex realises it came from him. “Alex, come on. You knew.”

“No, I --” Alex screws his eyes shut until he’s sure he’s not going to cry. “I know. I’m just happy, honest.”

“Me too.” Michael smiles and presses a kiss above each eye, the bridge of his nose, the corner of his mouth.

“Just, please don’t swap bodies with Max ever again,” Alex adds as an afterthought, voice soft and sleepy.

“Definitely not planning to,” Michael assures him. He lifts his hand to cradle Alex’s face, pressing the tip of his thumb to Alex’s bottom lip. “Though I did have this dream…”

“Hm?” Alex hums, eyes falling closed as he starts to lose himself in the warmth of Michael against him.

“Yeah,” Michael murmurs. “Think maybe I was just missing  _ you _ , darlin’. Thinking about all this…” he runs his hand down Alex’s throat, over his chest, dipping lower.

Alex grumbles in response. “You can tell me about your body swap fantasy later, Guerin,” he says, throwing his arm over Michael’s middle, nearly parallel to his leg. “Go to sleep.”

Michael laughs. “I’ll hold you to that.”

“Yeah.” Alex presses his face into Michael’s neck. “That’s kind of the idea.”


End file.
